Whole Foods stock was halted for 'news pending'... and now we have the answer - Amazon to acquire Whole Foods Market for $42/share in an all-cash transaction valued at ~$13.7b, including Whole Foods Market’s net debt.
With 9% of the float short this stock, we can only imagine the squeeze onm this 27% premium over last night's close.
Full Statement:
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:WFM) today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Amazon will acquire Whole Foods Market for $42 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $13.7 billion, including Whole Foods Market’s net debt.
“Millions of people love Whole Foods Market because they offer the best natural and organic foods, and they make it fun to eat healthy,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO.
“Whole Foods Market has been satisfying, delighting and nourishing customers for nearly four decades – they’re doing an amazing job and we want that to continue.”
“This partnership presents an opportunity to maximize value for Whole Foods Market’s shareholders, while at the same time extending our mission and bringing the highest quality, experience, convenience and innovation to our customers,” said John Mackey, Whole Foods Market co-founder and CEO.
Whole Foods Market will continue to operate stores under the Whole Foods Market brand and source from trusted vendors and partners around the world. John Mackey will remain as CEO of Whole Foods Market and Whole Foods Market’s headquarters will stay in Austin, Texas.
Completion of the transaction is subject to approval by Whole Foods Market's shareholders, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The parties expect to close the transaction during the second half of 2017.
The purchase of Whole Foods is Amazon's largest acqusition in history:
Amazon expects to finance the acquisition with debt.
Amazon enters into commitment letter for 364-day senior unsecured bridge term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $13.7 billion.
Expects to finance deal with debt financing, which may include senior unsecured notes issued in capital markets transactions, term loans, bridge loans, or any combination thereof, together with cash on hand, co says in a filing
Goldman Sachs, BofA-Merrill Lynch to lead debt financing
Amazon stock is up 3% on the news...
The sellside was delighted: here is Credit Suisse:
We view this acquisition as an offensive TAM-expansion move to accelerate its progress in the largest consumer spend category. In other words, Amazon is paying roughly 3% of its enterprise value for an improved position in an addressable segment that amounts to ~$1.6t according to the US Dept. of Agriculture’s ERS, especially as progress at Amazon Fresh (in terms of regional rollout) has been admittedly slower than we expected. The knock-on strategic benefit over the longer term should be 1) higher consumer engagement as the frequency of shopping for food and groceries should be greater versus the other verticals, 2) improved consumer selection in the category, 3) likely better bargaining terms with some of its current groceries/fresh produce suppliers, and as an ancillary benefit (while not as meaningful for the near to medium term) a 4) physical store footprint for Amazon-branded merchandise both hardware and softlines.
Others, such as Opennheimer, expect overbids, and OpCo raised its PT from $40 to $45 just on that.
Some context on the relative size.
And Kroger, Wal-Mart, Sprouts, and Target are plunging... (WMT -4%, TGT -5.5%, SFM -7.6%, KR -12%)
And European supermarkets are getting hammered -
*AHOLD, CARREFOUR, TESCO FALL TO LOWS ON AMAZON/WHOLE FOODS DEAL
*AHOLD DELHAIZE SLUMPS 6.8% IN AMSTERDAM ON AMAZON NEWS
With good reason probably. Grocery margin are 1-2% at best, and if Amazon can truly create smart stores with no check outs and cut employees in half they can kill regular supermarkets...
As Bloomberg's Gadfly recently opined, Amazon wil kill your local grocer...
Amazon's done it to books. And electronics. And clothing. Now it wants to rule the grocery aisles.
But Amazon still has a ways to go -- the online retailing behemoth has taken a slow, yet calculated approach to attacking the grocery store. After years of testing the AmazonFresh program in its Seattle hometown, it began expanding the grocery delivery service to other cities in 2013. Today, it delivers fresh fruit and meat in parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, California, Washington and Maryland. It also delivers food through its Amazon.com website and its Prime Now program.
And even though research from Cowen & Co. pegs Amazon's market share of food and beverages sold online in 2015 at about 22 percent, that overall online grocery market in the U.S. is pretty small. Out of the $795 billion Cowen expects Americans to spend on food and drinks this year, it estimates only about $33 billion of it will be spent online.
That's because it has taken shoppers a long time to grow comfortable with buying their apples, chicken breasts and granola online when they can stop by a physical store on the way home from work and actually touch and smell the food they're buying. Companies struggle to profit from the very expensive business of picking, packing and transporting fresh food to their customers. It's much easier to mail a video game or book, which doesn't have to be kept cold or free of bruises.
But for Amazon, the grocery business not only brings more sales, it could also make its business more profitable. People tend to buy groceries weekly or daily, so getting them hooked on delivery justifies sending trucks out more frequently. Then any general merchandise, like a book or toy, that Amazon sells along with the food adds to profits. And since Amazon will need more trucks for grocery delivery, it could reduce its reliance on shipping companies, which have contributed to soaring costs. For now, Amazon is likely to take added grocery costs on the chin, in hopes it will pay off down the line.
Growing its AmazonFresh and Prime Now offerings suggests Amazon is gearing up for the long haul in grocery. Though traditional grocers are not likely to see sales migrate to Amazon right away, that luxury won't last. And just like bookstores, your local grocer could be toast.
Thank you Feds...

Grocery retailer SUPERVALU Inc. (SVU) is on track to expand its wholesale business with the buyout of 22 Food Lion grocery stores in northern West Virginia, western Maryland, south central Pennsylvania and northwestern Virginia.

Shares of The Kroger Co. (KR) gained about 2.3% in morning trading Thursday after the retail grocery giant posted an impressive first quarter earnings report. Is this evidence that grocery stocks are a buy now?

EATONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- As part of Michelle Obama's healthy eating initiative, a group of major food retailers promised in 2011 to open or expand 1,500 grocery or convenience stores in and around neighborhoods with no supermarkets by 2016. By their own count, they're far short. Moreover, an analysis of federal food stamp data by The Associated Press reveals that the nation's largest chains - not just the handful involved in the first lady's group - have since built new supermarkets in only a fraction of the neighborhoods where they're needed most. The Partnership for a Healthier America, which also promotes good nutrition and exercise in its anti-obesity mission, considers improving access to fresh food a key part of the solution. But the AP's research demonstrates that major grocers overwhelmingly avoid America's food deserts instead of trying to turn a profit in high-poverty areas. Among the AP's findings: - The nation's top 75 food retailers opened almost 10,300 stores in new locations from 2011 to the first quarter of 2015, 2,434 of which were grocery stores. Take away convenience stores and "dollar stores," which generally don't sell fresh fruits, vegetables or meat, and barely more than 250 of the new supermarkets were in so-called food deserts, or neighborhoods without stores that offer fresh produce and meats. - As the largest supermarket chains have been slow to build in food deserts, dollar stores have multiplied rapidly. Three chains - Dollar General, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree - made up two-thirds of new stores in food deserts. And the dollar store sector is consolidating: Dollar Tree merged with Family Dollar this year, creating the largest dollar-store chain in the nation and, in the process, less competition and less incentive to diversify what these stores offer. - Excluding dollar stores and 7-Elevens, just 1.4 million of the more than 18 million people the USDA says lived in food deserts as of 2010 got a new supermarket in the past four years. On top of all that, it's difficult to say how many more people live in newer food deserts created by recent store closures. Viola Hill used to walk several times a week to a Schnucks supermarket a block away from her apartment in her struggling north St. Louis neighborhood, until that store shuttered last year. Now, she can get to a supermarket only once a month, when she pays a friend $10 to drive her to one several miles away. "I have to get enough food to last me a whole month," said Hill, a retiree who likes to cook chicken and green beans. "It hurt us really badly when they closed because we depended on the Schnucks for medication and my food there. It was a lot of people hurt, not just me." Schnucks officials said they were losing money on the store, which now sits boarded up with weeds growing in its parking lot. The U.S. Department of Agriculture considers a neighborhood a food desert if at least a fifth of the residents live in poverty and a third live more than a mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than 10 miles in rural areas, where residents are more likely to have cars. The first lady's group's 2014 progress report, its most recent, says the companies that made pledges have opened or renovated 602 grocery stores or other food retail locations, well below halfway toward their collective goal. The partnership counted companies as having met their commitments if the stores they opened or renovated fell within a mile of a USDA-designated food desert in a city, or within 10 miles of a rural one. The AP analyzed which of the new stores that opened lie directly within food deserts. Research has shown that a lack of access to healthy foods contributes to health problems, such as obesity and diabetes. Proximity to a supermarket can make a big difference in what people eat, especially if they don't drive, although other factors such as food culture also play a role. Even though a neighborhood without a supermarket may have a corner grocer, the large chains have much greater leverage and economies of scale to bring a wider of variety of products at cheaper prices. Jock Riggins likes to cook and tries as often as he can to make his favorite meal of cube steak with bell peppers, rice and gravy. But getting to the supermarket nearest to his home in Eatonville, Florida, north of Orlando, requires pedaling his rusted bicycle down a clogged, six-lane road with narrow shoulders, and balancing bags of groceries in each hand on the way back. "If I don't have my vegetables for my food I substitute with sandwiches," said Riggins, 51, who gets by working odd jobs. "If there was a supermarket closer, I wouldn't have to go way out on Lee Road. It would be better." --- A FOOD OASIS Less than 3 miles from Eatonville is what could only be described as a food oasis. In the span of a little over a mile on a single avenue in the tony Orlando suburb of Winter Park, there are two Publix supermarkets, a Trader Joe's, a Chamberlin's Natural Food Market and the site of a future 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market. With the exception of Chamberlin's, where the offerings are mostly organic or specialized, prices in the food oasis are cheaper than what Riggins gets in his neighborhood, and the selections are boundless by comparison. There are no fresh fruits, vegetables or meats at the Family Dollar or Poncho's Market corner store in Eatonville, and a $3 loaf of Nature's Own wheat bread at those stores cost $2.19 at Publix on a recent visit. The same half-gallon of milk was 11 percent more expensive at the Family Dollar than at Publix, and Poncho's was out of milk. Some of the dollar store chains have started dipping their toes into selling fresh produce. Dollar General has opened up about 150 Dollar General Market stores that sell fresh vegetables, fruit and meat, though that format makes up only 1 percent of the chain's 12,000-plus stores. "The dollar stores are popping up everywhere in the food deserts, but that doesn't mean anything if the owners don't give customers the opportunity for fresh produce," said Norman Wilson Sr., a food desert activist who is pastor of a Pentecostal church in Orlando. Florida lawmaker Dwight Bullard introduced legislation this year with incentives to build stores in food deserts, which tend to have higher unemployment than other neighborhoods. In urban areas, food deserts also tend to have a high percentage of minorities. Bullard's bill went nowhere. "Part of the frustration was centered around the fourth Publix I'd seen servicing the same community. ... It made me scratch my head and say, 'Geez, what about those communities where you can go blocks and blocks and blocks without seeing a real grocery store?' It doesn't make sense to me," said Bullard, a Democratic state senator, whose district covering urban and rural parts of South Florida is overwhelmingly black and Hispanic. Publix spokesman Dwaine Stevens said he couldn't comment on how store locations are decided due to their "strategic and proprietary nature." Supermarkets often build stores close to each other to compete in an area and highlight each store's niche, said Ira Goldstein, president of policy solutions at The Reinvestment Fund, a Philadelphia-based community development firm that has invested in grocery store construction in low-income neighborhoods. The stores typically look for neighborhoods that can support their format rather than changing their format to fit the neighborhood. "That brings choice and variety to the market but it doesn't necessarily solve the problem in an inadequately served area," Goldstein said. --- BARRIERS TO ACCESS Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack believes stores that open in food deserts need to be attuned to the particulars of their communities to succeed. "You have to cater to the people who live there. You have to know who they are," Vilsack said during a recent visit to Orlando. That's where the large supermarket chains often run into trouble, since they have rigid formats that often miss the nuances of a community, said Jeff Brown, CEO of Brown's Super Stores in the Philadelphia area. "They're not selling what they should be selling because they don't understand," said Brown, whose company has seven stores in underserved neighborhoods. Stores that succeed generally have other amenities, such as a pharmacy, doctor's clinic or a bank embedded in the supermarket, he said. Building stores in low-income neighborhoods comes with unique complications, according to the Food Marketing Institute, a Washington-based trade group for food retailers. A large customer base on food stamps creates erratic flows with a rush of business in the beginning of the month when food stamps are issued, but slow business at the end of the month. Insurance and security can be more costly in neighborhoods perceived to be high crime, and workers from neighborhoods with high unemployment sometimes need extra training for basic job skills. The average supermarket operates on a 1 or 2 percent profit margin and must be sustainable for at least a decade to recoup any profit, so retailers can't afford to pick unprofitable locations, said David Fikes, vice president of consumer and community affairs for the Food Marketing Institute. The industry also is in flux. Two of its biggest players - Stop & Shop owner Ahold USA and Delhaize Group SA, the Brussels conglomerate that owns the Food Lion and Hannaford chains in the U.S. - recently announced merger plans. Safeway Inc. and Albertsons merged earlier this year, and Kroger announced last month that it would buy Roundy's Supermarkets stores in Illinois and Wisconsin. One of the nation's oldest large food retailers, A&P, recently returned to bankruptcy court, and SuperValu recently announced plans to spin off its Save-A-Lot stores. Even Wal-Mart warned recently that its profits would take a hit. All of that, analysts say, suggests the grocery industry isn't likely to change its patterns for where it does business, and where it doesn't. "We would love to have a supermarket in every neighborhood across America, whether if it's a food desert or not," Fikes said. "But it's got to be sustainable for all involved." -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

EATONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- As part of Michelle Obama's healthy eating initiative, a group of major food retailers promised in 2011 to open or expand 1,500 grocery or convenience stores in and around neighborhoods with no supermarkets by 2016. By their own count, they're far short. Moreover, an analysis of federal food stamp data by The Associated Press reveals that the nation's largest chains - not just the handful involved in the first lady's group - have since built new supermarkets in only a fraction of the neighborhoods where they're needed most. The Partnership for a Healthier America, which also promotes good nutrition and exercise in its anti-obesity mission, considers improving access to fresh food a key part of the solution. But the AP's research demonstrates that major grocers overwhelmingly avoid America's food deserts instead of trying to turn a profit in high-poverty areas. Among the AP's findings: - The nation's top 75 food retailers opened almost 10,300 stores in new locations from 2011 to the first quarter of 2015, 2,434 of which were grocery stores. Take away convenience stores and "dollar stores," which generally don't sell fresh fruits, vegetables or meat, and barely more than 250 of the new supermarkets were in so-called food deserts, or neighborhoods without stores that offer fresh produce and meats. - As the largest supermarket chains have been slow to build in food deserts, dollar stores have multiplied rapidly. Three chains - Dollar General, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree - made up two-thirds of new stores in food deserts. And the dollar store sector is consolidating: Dollar Tree merged with Family Dollar this year, creating the largest dollar-store chain in the nation and, in the process, less competition and less incentive to diversify what these stores offer. - Excluding dollar stores and 7-Elevens, just 1.4 million of the more than 18 million people the USDA says lived in food deserts as of 2010 got a new supermarket in the past four years. On top of all that, it's difficult to say how many more people live in newer food deserts created by recent store closures. Viola Hill used to walk several times a week to a Schnucks supermarket a block away from her apartment in her struggling north St. Louis neighborhood, until that store shuttered last year. Now, she can get to a supermarket only once a month, when she pays a friend $10 to drive her to one several miles away. "I have to get enough food to last me a whole month," said Hill, a retiree who likes to cook chicken and green beans. "It hurt us really badly when they closed because we depended on the Schnucks for medication and my food there. It was a lot of people hurt, not just me." Schnucks officials said they were losing money on the store, which now sits boarded up with weeds growing in its parking lot. The U.S. Department of Agriculture considers a neighborhood a food desert if at least a fifth of the residents live in poverty and a third live more than a mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than 10 miles in rural areas, where residents are more likely to have cars. The first lady's group's 2014 progress report, its most recent, says the companies that made pledges have opened or renovated 602 grocery stores or other food retail locations, well below halfway toward their collective goal. The partnership counted companies as having met their commitments if the stores they opened or renovated fell within a mile of a USDA-designated food desert in a city, or within 10 miles of a rural one. The AP analyzed which of the new stores that opened lie directly within food deserts. Research has shown that a lack of access to healthy foods contributes to health problems, such as obesity and diabetes. Proximity to a supermarket can make a big difference in what people eat, especially if they don't drive, although other factors such as food culture also play a role. Even though a neighborhood without a supermarket may have a corner grocer, the large chains have much greater leverage and economies of scale to bring a wider of variety of products at cheaper prices. Jock Riggins likes to cook and tries as often as he can to make his favorite meal of cube steak with bell peppers, rice and gravy. But getting to the supermarket nearest to his home in Eatonville, Florida, north of Orlando, requires pedaling his rusted bicycle down a clogged, six-lane road with narrow shoulders, and balancing bags of groceries in each hand on the way back. "If I don't have my vegetables for my food I substitute with sandwiches," said Riggins, 51, who gets by working odd jobs. "If there was a supermarket closer, I wouldn't have to go way out on Lee Road. It would be better." --- A FOOD OASIS Less than 3 miles from Eatonville is what could only be described as a food oasis. In the span of a little over a mile on a single avenue in the tony Orlando suburb of Winter Park, there are two Publix supermarkets, a Trader Joe's, a Chamberlin's Natural Food Market and the site of a future 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market. With the exception of Chamberlin's, where the offerings are mostly organic or specialized, prices in the food oasis are cheaper than what Riggins gets in his neighborhood, and the selections are boundless by comparison. There are no fresh fruits, vegetables or meats at the Family Dollar or Poncho's Market corner store in Eatonville, and a $3 loaf of Nature's Own wheat bread at those stores cost $2.19 at Publix on a recent visit. The same half-gallon of milk was 11 percent more expensive at the Family Dollar than at Publix, and Poncho's was out of milk. Some of the dollar store chains have started dipping their toes into selling fresh produce. Dollar General has opened up about 150 Dollar General Market stores that sell fresh vegetables, fruit and meat, though that format makes up only 1 percent of the chain's 12,000-plus stores. "The dollar stores are popping up everywhere in the food deserts, but that doesn't mean anything if the owners don't give customers the opportunity for fresh produce," said Norman Wilson Sr., a food desert activist who is pastor of a Pentecostal church in Orlando. Florida lawmaker Dwight Bullard introduced legislation this year with incentives to build stores in food deserts, which tend to have higher unemployment than other neighborhoods. In urban areas, food deserts also tend to have a high percentage of minorities. Bullard's bill went nowhere. "Part of the frustration was centered around the fourth Publix I'd seen servicing the same community. ... It made me scratch my head and say, 'Geez, what about those communities where you can go blocks and blocks and blocks without seeing a real grocery store?' It doesn't make sense to me," said Bullard, a Democratic state senator, whose district covering urban and rural parts of South Florida is overwhelmingly black and Hispanic. Publix spokesman Dwaine Stevens said he couldn't comment on how store locations are decided due to their "strategic and proprietary nature." Supermarkets often build stores close to each other to compete in an area and highlight each store's niche, said Ira Goldstein, president of policy solutions at The Reinvestment Fund, a Philadelphia-based community development firm that has invested in grocery store construction in low-income neighborhoods. The stores typically look for neighborhoods that can support their format rather than changing their format to fit the neighborhood. "That brings choice and variety to the market but it doesn't necessarily solve the problem in an inadequately served area," Goldstein said. --- BARRIERS TO ACCESS Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack believes stores that open in food deserts need to be attuned to the particulars of their communities to succeed. "You have to cater to the people who live there. You have to know who they are," Vilsack said during a recent visit to Orlando. That's where the large supermarket chains often run into trouble, since they have rigid formats that often miss the nuances of a community, said Jeff Brown, CEO of Brown's Super Stores in the Philadelphia area. "They're not selling what they should be selling because they don't understand," said Brown, whose company has seven stores in underserved neighborhoods. Stores that succeed generally have other amenities, such as a pharmacy, doctor's clinic or a bank embedded in the supermarket, he said. Building stores in low-income neighborhoods comes with unique complications, according to the Food Marketing Institute, a Washington-based trade group for food retailers. A large customer base on food stamps creates erratic flows with a rush of business in the beginning of the month when food stamps are issued, but slow business at the end of the month. Insurance and security can be more costly in neighborhoods perceived to be high crime, and workers from neighborhoods with high unemployment sometimes need extra training for basic job skills. The average supermarket operates on a 1 or 2 percent profit margin and must be sustainable for at least a decade to recoup any profit, so retailers can't afford to pick unprofitable locations, said David Fikes, vice president of consumer and community affairs for the Food Marketing Institute. The industry also is in flux. Two of its biggest players - Stop & Shop owner Ahold USA and Delhaize Group SA, the Brussels conglomerate that owns the Food Lion and Hannaford chains in the U.S. - recently announced merger plans. Safeway Inc. and Albertsons merged earlier this year, and Kroger announced last month that it would buy Roundy's Supermarkets stores in Illinois and Wisconsin. One of the nation's oldest large food retailers, A&P, recently returned to bankruptcy court, and SuperValu recently announced plans to spin off its Save-A-Lot stores. Even Wal-Mart warned recently that its profits would take a hit. All of that, analysts say, suggests the grocery industry isn't likely to change its patterns for where it does business, and where it doesn't. "We would love to have a supermarket in every neighborhood across America, whether if it's a food desert or not," Fikes said. "But it's got to be sustainable for all involved." -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Belgium stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Beverage, Consumer Goods and Utilities sectors led shares higher. At the close in Brussels, the BEL 20 added 1.65%. The best performers of the session on the BEL 20 were Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA (BRU:ABI), which rose 6.41% or 6.05 points to trade at 100.50 at the close. Meanwhile, Elia (BRU:ELI) added 4.38% or 1.775 points to end at 42.325 and Delhaize Group (BRU:DELB) was up 2.76% or 2.18 points to 81.23 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were KBC (BRU:KBC), which fell 0.56% or 0.330 points to trade at 58.930 at the close. Befimmo-Sicafi (BRU:BEFBb) added 0.06% or 0.030 points to end at 54.490 and Cofinimmo-Sicafi (BRU:COFB) was up 0.12% or 0.11 points to 92.55. Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Brussels Stock Exchange by 114 to 41 and 5 ended unchanged. Shares in Elia (BRU:ELI) rose to all time highs; rising 4.38% or 1.775 to 42.325. Gold for December delivery was up 1.71% or 18.80 to $1121.40 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in October rose 5.47% or 2.44 to hit $47.03 a barrel, while the November Brent oil contract rose 4.26% or 2.04 to trade at $49.78 a barrel. EUR/USD was up 0.33% to 1.1307, while EUR/GBP fell 0.62% to 0.7296. The US Dollar Index was down 0.41% at 95.37.

Belgium stocks were higher after the close on Tuesday, as gains in the Construction&Materials, Financials and Industrials sectors led shares higher. At the close in Brussels, the BEL 20 gained 0.30%. The best performers of the session on the BEL 20 were Elia (BRU:ELI), which rose 2.62% or 1.035 points to trade at 40.550 at the close. Meanwhile, KBC (BRU:KBC) added 1.77% or 1.030 points to end at 59.260 and Delta Lloyd (AMS:DLL) was up 1.58% or 0.14 points to 8.86 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Delhaize Group (BRU:DELB), which fell 0.95% or 0.76 points to trade at 79.05 at the close. NV Bekaert SA (BRU:BEKB) declined 0.94% or 0.23 points to end at 24.75 and Proximus NV (BRU:PROX) was down 0.76% or 0.24 points to 31.41. Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Brussels Stock Exchange by 79 to 73 and 3 ended unchanged. Gold for December delivery was down 0.41% or 4.50 to $1103.20 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in October rose 2.02% or 0.89 to hit $44.89 a barrel, while the November Brent oil contract rose 0.12% or 0.06 to trade at $47.41 a barrel. EUR/USD was down 0.50% to 1.1261, while EUR/GBP rose 0.04% to 0.7339. The US Dollar Index was up 0.47% at 95.84.

Belgium stocks were lower after the close on Monday, as losses in the Real Estate, Utilities and Healthcare sectors led shares lower. At the close in Brussels, the BEL 20 declined 0.61%. The best performers of the session on the BEL 20 were Umicore NV (BRU:UMI), which rose 0.94% or 0.34 points to trade at 36.69 at the close. Meanwhile, DIeteren SA (BRU:IETB) fell 0.01% or 0.005 points to end at 35.970 and Delhaize Group (BRU:DELB) was down 0.21% or 0.17 points to 79.81 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Elia (BRU:ELI), which fell 2.79% or 1.135 points to trade at 39.515 at the close. NV Bekaert SA (BRU:BEKB) declined 1.75% or 0.45 points to end at 24.98 and KBC (BRU:KBC) was down 1.19% or 0.700 points to 58.230. Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Brussels Stock Exchange by 98 to 53 and 4 ended unchanged. Gold for December delivery was up 0.36% or 4.00 to $1107.30 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in October fell 1.43% or 0.64 to hit $43.99 a barrel, while the November Brent oil contract fell 2.79% or 1.37 to trade at $47.67 a barrel. EUR/USD was down 0.20% to 1.1316, while EUR/GBP fell 0.17% to 0.7336. The US Dollar Index was unchanged 0.00% at 95.38.

Belgium stocks were lower after the close on Monday, as losses in the Utilities, Construction&Materials and Technology sectors led shares lower. At the close in Brussels, the BEL 20 fell 4.99% to hit a new 6-months low. The best performers of the session on the BEL 20 were bpost NV (BRU:BPOST), which fell 1.78% or 0.39 points to trade at 21.18 at the close. Meanwhile, Elia (BRU:ELI) fell 1.84% or 0.670 points to end at 35.765 and Telenet Group (BRU:TNET) was down 1.92% or 0.94 points to 48.40 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Delta Lloyd (AMS:DLL), which fell 8.47% or 0.88 points to trade at 9.48 at the close. Engie SA (PARIS:ENGIE) declined 7.50% or 1.22 points to end at 14.99 and Delhaize Group (BRU:DELB) was down 7.13% or 5.70 points to 74.28. Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Brussels Stock Exchange by 172 to 7 and 6 ended unchanged. Shares in Delta Lloyd (AMS:DLL) fell to 3-years lows; falling 8.47% or 0.88 to 9.48. Shares in Engie SA (PARIS:ENGIE) fell to 52-week lows; down 7.50% or 1.22 to 14.99. Gold for December delivery was down 0.04% or 0.50 to $1159.10 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in October fell 3.73% or 1.51 to hit $38.94 a barrel, while the October Brent oil contract fell 4.17% or 1.90 to trade at $43.56 a barrel. EUR/USD was up 1.77% to 1.1585, while EUR/GBP rose 1.38% to 0.7356. The US Dollar Index was down 1.44% at 93.47.

Belgium stocks were higher after the close on Tuesday, as gains in the Pharma&Bio-technology, Chemicals and Basic Materials sectors led shares higher. At the close in Brussels, the BEL 20 gained 0.05%. The best performers of the session on the BEL 20 were NV Bekaert SA (BRU:BEKB), which rose 2.04% or 0.55 points to trade at 27.57 at the close. Meanwhile, Ageas (BRU:AGES) added 1.93% or 0.730 points to end at 38.495 and Telenet Group (BRU:TNET) was up 1.62% or 0.86 points to 53.80 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA (BRU:ABI), which fell 1.22% or 1.35 points to trade at 109.55 at the close. Delhaize Group (BRU:DELB) declined 0.72% or 0.60 points to end at 82.70 and KBC (BRU:KBC) was down 0.62% or 0.400 points to 63.740. Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Brussels Stock Exchange by 84 to 81 and 9 ended unchanged. Shares in Ageas (BRU:AGES) rose to 5-year highs; rising 1.93% or 0.730 to 38.495. Gold for December delivery was up 0.26% or 2.80 to $1092.20 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in September rose 1.84% or 0.83 to hit $46.00 a barrel, while the September Brent oil contract rose 1.08% or 0.54 to trade at $50.05 a barrel. EUR/USD was up 0.04% to 1.0957, while EUR/GBP fell 0.13% to 0.7017. The US Dollar Index was down 0.08% at 97.52.

Belgium stocks were lower after the close on Wednesday, as losses in the Chemicals, Basic Materials and Technology sectors led shares lower. At the close in Brussels, the BEL 20 lost 0.00%. The best performers of the session on the BEL 20 were GDF Suez SA (PARIS:GSZ), which rose 2.24% or 0.37 points to trade at 16.91 at the close. Meanwhile, Proximus NV (BRU:PROX) added 1.94% or 0.66 points to end at 34.34 and Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA (BRU:ABI) was up 1.02% or 1.15 points to 113.45 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Solvay SA (BRU:SOLB), which fell 2.97% or 3.80 points to trade at 124.20 at the close. KBC (BRU:KBC) declined 1.38% or 0.870 points to end at 62.140 and Delhaize Group (BRU:DELB) was down 1.26% or 1.00 points to 78.31. Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Brussels Stock Exchange by 98 to 70 and 6 ended unchanged. Gold for December delivery was down 0.21% or 2.30 to $1094.40 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in September rose 2.13% or 1.02 to hit $49.00 a barrel, while the September Brent oil contract rose 0.78% or 0.41 to trade at $53.72 a barrel. EUR/USD was down 0.36% to 1.1020, while EUR/GBP fell 0.37% to 0.7056. The US Dollar Index was up 0.23% at 96.99.

Belgium stocks were higher after the close on Tuesday, as gains in the Telecoms, Pharma&Bio-technology and Healthcare sectors led shares higher. At the close in Brussels, the BEL 20 rose 0.20% to hit a new 1-month high. The best performers of the session on the BEL 20 were Delta Lloyd (AMS:DLL), which rose 1.93% or 0.29 points to trade at 15.57 at the close. Meanwhile, DIeteren SA (BRU:IETB) added 1.47% or 0.470 points to end at 32.495 and Proximus NV (BRU:PROX) was up 0.98% or 0.33 points to 33.42 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Delhaize Group (BRU:DELB), which fell 1.05% or 0.83 points to trade at 78.32 at the close. NV Bekaert SA (BRU:BEKB) declined 0.99% or 0.25 points to end at 25.10 and Solvay (BRU:SOLB) was down 0.51% or 0.65 points to 126.45. Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Brussels Stock Exchange by 89 to 73 and 4 ended unchanged. Gold for August delivery was down 0.04% or 0.50 to $1154.90 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in August rose 1.48% or 0.77 to hit $52.97 a barrel, while the September Brent oil contract rose 0.89% or 0.52 to trade at $58.66 a barrel. EUR/USD was up 0.10% to 1.1010, while EUR/GBP fell 0.58% to 0.7062. The US Dollar Index was down 0.10% at 96.83.

Belgium stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Financials, Consumer Services and Utilities sectors led shares higher. At the close in Brussels, the BEL 20 added 2.46%. The best performers of the session on the BEL 20 were Delhaize Group (BRU:DELB), which rose 4.30% or 3.09 points to trade at 74.89 at the close. Meanwhile, KBC (BRU:KBC) added 3.79% or 2.170 points to end at 59.450 and Umicore NV (BRU:UMI) was up 3.14% or 1.27 points to 41.73 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Elia (BRU:ELI), which rose 0.38% or 0.140 points to trade at 36.660 at the close. Ackermans V.Haaren (BRU:ACKB) added 0.82% or 1.05 points to end at 129.10 and bpost NV (BRU:BPOST) was up 1.02% or 0.25 points to 24.86. Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Brussels Stock Exchange by 133 to 35 and 5 ended unchanged. Gold for August delivery was down 0.23% or 2.70 to $1160.80 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in August rose 2.73% or 1.41 to hit $53.06 a barrel, while the August Brent oil contract rose 3.48% or 1.99 to trade at $59.03 a barrel. EUR/USD was down 0.45% to 1.1027, while EUR/GBP fell 0.53% to 0.7174. The US Dollar Index was up 0.34% at 96.71.

Belgium stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Pharma&Bio-technology, Healthcare and Technology sectors led shares higher. At the close in Brussels, the BEL 20 added 1.86%. The best performers of the session on the BEL 20 were UCB (BRU:UCB), which rose 3.77% or 2.43 points to trade at 66.82 at the close. Meanwhile, Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA (BRU:ABI) added 2.84% or 3.05 points to end at 110.55 and Delhaize Group (BRU:DELB) was up 2.66% or 1.97 points to 76.03 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Proximus NV (BRU:PROX), which rose 0.17% or 0.06 points to trade at 31.73 at the close. GDF Suez (PARIS:GSZ) added 0.42% or 0.07 points to end at 16.71 and Befimmo-Sicafi (BRU:BEFBb) was up 0.53% or 0.290 points to 55.200. Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Brussels Stock Exchange by 133 to 30 and 9 ended unchanged. Gold for August delivery was down 0.20% or 2.30 to $1169.50 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in August fell 3.09% or 1.84 to hit $57.63 a barrel, while the August Brent oil contract fell 1.58% or 1.00 to trade at $62.59 a barrel. EUR/USD was down 0.60% to 1.1076, while EUR/GBP fell 0.08% to 0.7094. The US Dollar Index was up 0.59% at 96.32.